The sound bite that would win the election

[slang]

Originally posted by Kitsune
What do you do when you spent four or more years of your life to get a degree that is now useless? You've amassed student loans and don't easily have a way to pay them off and now you're simply told you need to get yet another education.

These lines jumped out at me.

Do you really think that a degree in CS is now useless because much of the programming type of work is now being shipped overseas?

Now I know I'm not familiar with this whole industry, but it seems to me that having a cheap source of labor to perform the "simpler" tasks, would free up Americans to concentrate more on organizing projects. The grunt work can now be subbed out to save money but the projects in general can increase in complexity.In this way it seems possible that we might all win.

For example, in a manufacturing situation, subcontracting the basic machining of the parts saves the resources of the company to focus on operations that are high tech. Those high tech operations are beyond the current capabilities of the subcon companies. Both companies benefit from their particular expertise or efficiency at their specialty service.

Does this apply to the programming and development market, I dont know. It seems logical though.

I can remember 15 years ago when the Japanese products were forcing American products out of the market. Many people in this area were out of the job that they had been working at for many years. Those that insisted on continuing to "making buggy whips" are still receiving food stamps. Those that accepted the fact that change was uncomfortable but required, went on to do something else made out pretty well.

You also made a good point about having to get another education. Is this really true though? Again, I dont know. How many people do you know that are working in an area that has little to do with their degree? A degree does more than give you some advantage for attaining a particular position. It gives you core skills to gain more skills, a base to build on.

My view of the future is that of the US developing more diverse and complicated products......faster, giving the consumer more competetively priced products that they want. People displaced now will be very valuable when we figure out what to make next.

Join me in this optimistic fantasy. It may very well come true as it has here in the past.